Kuopio Airport
Encyclopedia
Kuopio Airport is an airport in Siilinjärvi
, Finland
, about 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of Kuopio
city centre.
It is currently the seventh busiest airport in Finland (inland airports: third, after Tampere
and Rovaniemi
), as measured by the number of passengers (ca. 254,000 in 2010). , Kuopio Airport was one of only five profitable airports in Finland, thanks to shared use of the runways by the Karelian Air Command
of the Finnish Air Force
and civilian airlines.
Kuopio Airport was chosen as the Airport of the Year in Finland in 2004.
Kuopio Airport was completed in November 1939. Flight operations started in May 1940. It was used by the Luftwaffe
during World War II
(1942–43).
During the Continuation War
the runways were made from plywood
.
Lake Saimaa offers a waterway connection to the cities of the Finnish Lakeland
: Imatra
, Joensuu
, Kuopio, Lappeenranta
, Mikkeli
, Savonlinna
and Varkaus
. Vuoksi River
flows from Saimaa to Lake Ladoga
(Russia). Saimaa Canal
connects Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland
.
Kuopio Airport is also home of the Finnish Air Force
's Karelian Air Command
and the Fighter Squadron 31
(HävLLv 31).
Siilinjärvi
Siilinjärvi is a municipality of Finland. The name, in Finnish, means "Hedgehog Lake."It is located in Eastern Finland, in Northern Savonia, north of the city of Kuopio. The median age is relatively low; 23% of the population are under 15 years old. The main sources of income are services and...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, about 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of Kuopio
Kuopio
Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest...
city centre.
It is currently the seventh busiest airport in Finland (inland airports: third, after Tampere
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is located in Pirkkala, south-west of Tampere city centre. The airport is the third busiest airport in Finland, as measured by the number of passengers , and the second busiest airport in Finland, as measured by the number of international passengers...
and Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi Airport
Rovaniemi Airport is the fifth biggest airport in Finland by annual number of passengers, located in Rovaniemi, Finland, about north of Rovaniemi city centre. The Arctic Circle crosses the runway closer to its northern end.- History :...
), as measured by the number of passengers (ca. 254,000 in 2010). , Kuopio Airport was one of only five profitable airports in Finland, thanks to shared use of the runways by the Karelian Air Command
Karelian Air Command
The Karelian Air Command is the peace-time Finnish Air Force unit, responsible for the protection of the airspace of eastern and southeastern Finland...
of the Finnish Air Force
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
and civilian airlines.
Kuopio Airport was chosen as the Airport of the Year in Finland in 2004.
Kuopio Airport was completed in November 1939. Flight operations started in May 1940. It was used by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1942–43).
During the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
the runways were made from plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
.
Lake terminal
A unique airport Lake Terminal was completed in March 2008. The terminal is situated some 200 metres (656.2 ft) from the airport tower. It connects the airport to Lake Saimaa region.Lake Saimaa offers a waterway connection to the cities of the Finnish Lakeland
Finnish Lakeland
Finnish Lakeland or Finnish lake district is the largest of the four landscape regions into which the geography of Finland is divided.The hilly, forest-covered landscape of the lake plateau is dominated by drumlins and by long sinuous eskers...
: Imatra
Imatra
Imatra is a town and municipality in eastern Finland, founded in 1948 around three industrial settlements near the Finnish–Russian border. In the course of the last 50 years, this amorphous group of settlements has grown into a modern industrial town dominated by Lake Saimaa, the Vuoksi River and...
, Joensuu
Joensuu
Joensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia in eastern Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of North Karelia region. It was founded in 1848...
, Kuopio, Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland...
, Mikkeli
Mikkeli
Mikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
, Savonlinna
Savonlinna
Savonlinna is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region. The Finnish name of the town means "Castle of Savonia" and the Swedish name means "Newcastle".- History :...
and Varkaus
Varkaus
Varkaus is a Middle-Savonian industrial town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .The municipality is...
. Vuoksi River
Vuoksi River
The Vuoksi River runs in the northernmost part of the Karelian Isthmus from Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland to Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. The river enters Lake Ladoga in three branches, an older main northern branch at Priozersk , a smaller branch few km...
flows from Saimaa to Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
(Russia). Saimaa Canal
Saimaa Canal
The Saimaa Canal is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on 7 September 1856 .It was overhauled and widened in 1963–1968....
connects Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
.
Airlines and destinations
Accidents and incidents
- On 3 October 1978, Douglas C-47A DO-10 of the Finnish Air ForceFinnish Air ForceThe Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
crashed into Lake Juuruvesi when attempting to return to Kuopio Airport. The aircraft was on a military flight to Helsinki AirportHelsinki AirportHelsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...
when an engine failed shortly after take-off and the decision was made to return to Kuopio.
Finnish Air Force
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
's Karelian Air Command
Karelian Air Command
The Karelian Air Command is the peace-time Finnish Air Force unit, responsible for the protection of the airspace of eastern and southeastern Finland...
and the Fighter Squadron 31
No. 31 Squadron, Finnish Air Force
Fighter Squadron 31 is a Finnish fighter squadron located near Kuopio. It is the operational part of the Karelia Wing.-Organization:1st Flight:Fighter flight, flies F-18C/D and also trains mechanics...
(HävLLv 31).
Statistics
| Year | Domestic passengers | International passengers | Total passengers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 274,954 | 32,785 | 307,739 | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 289,231 | 42,971 | 332,202 | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 270,430 | 33,774 | 304,204 | −8.4% |
| 2008 | 252,616 | 37,601 | 290,247 | −4.6% |
| 2009 | 220,018 | 30,546 | 250,564 | −13.7% |
| 2010 | 207,067 | 46,545 | 253,612 | +1.2% |